The Light Within The Dream
by I love James
Summary: Ash has to save the world again, but this time he'll have help from a most unlikely source. Lot's of Ash & friends and Team Rocket. Rocketshippy & AAMR. This is a story of adventure, fantasy, and legends in the making. All chapters redone and chap7 added
1. The Dream

I sometimes dream that there's more to life then meets the eye...

The Light Within

Ch.1: The Dream

The darkness in the room overwhelmed him. There was no where to go and no where to come from. Nothing. The strangeness of it all made him think this was a dream...but a dream where nothing happened? For hours it seemed like, there was nothing but this dark nothingness.

Then a light appeared, and for a moment that was the only thing that made sense to him. He was afraid to look away and lose sight of it somehow. The dimness of the light did not comfort him, and it shown over some type of big...pot? No a cauldron. A strangely beautiful cauldron bubbling with the clear liquid within it. The light grew brighter with each passing second.

In a single breath, the light became so bright that he had to cover his eyes, and when he could look again, he saw a lady hovering there. The weirdness of this whole entire scene started to get to him. The woman towered over him in a white robe, her long blue hair curled down by her small feet.

" Do not be afraid. You two are here for a good reason." She spoke, a smile upon her lips and then began to laugh "You both look around for the other. Maybe a little light will help make it clearer?"

She mumbles something he can't hear, and soon the entire chamber is filled with light. The stone room seems empty, except for the cauldron in the middle.

Ash stood up, frowning. What a weird dream. He turned to walk around the cauldron, curious as to his mind would pick out to be the other person. Ash nearly tripped over him.

" You!"

James folded his arms and looked back at him, "...you."

"Of all the people for me to dream about..."

James shrugged looking the other way.

" Now, this is not just some strange dream and I hope you'll believe me about that, because this is a matter of great importance. The entire existence of the earth and the universe depends upon it." The lady began.

_Great, I get to save the world in my dreams now,_ Ash sighed.

James bit his lip with worry, _I wonder if they needed a human sacrifice or something…_

" You see this caldron? It's the fairy cauldron. Every living creature has their own cauldron. Each of these cauldrons contain the power of that certain being, so if anyone every claims a cauldron for themselves, they have all of that power. They could control those creatures to do anything they want." The fairy explained.

" Fairies? Cauldrons? This is the weirdest dream I've ever had." Ash said, laughing.

" What does this have to do with us?" James asked. _Please don't say sacrifice, please don't sacrifice, please oh please oh please...don't..._

" Well," The fairy said, with a stern look at Ash. " The largest cauldron is the world's cauldron. It's been hidden for hundreds of years, and no one knew where it was at or that it even existed, until now. There's a new bad these last few years, and he's real evil and has a lot of power and money right now. You should know him"

" The boss." James muttered.

" Yes, Giovanni is consumed with his desire for more power. Even his closest advisors have no idea what he's all about, they think everything's about making money. When Giovanni found out about the cauldrons, he sent his top researchers to look for it, study it, whatever it took. He wants it for himself. And if he get's it...the future of the world is in jeopardy."

" How can I believe this?" Ash demanded.

" You may deny it, but you know in your heart that it is true. It's your destiny, you are a cauldron warrior."

" What?"

" Every cauldron has a protector. Typically there's only one, but the world's cauldron holds the most importance, so two have been assigned to it. It's both of your jobs to protect it from harm in every way possible"

_So this is who I am,_ Ash smiled, the fairy lady was right, he could feel the truth in the very blood running through him. _This must be a mistake, _James looked around him uneasily, _not me. I don't do things right..._

" What I don't get is why did they choose a bad guy." Ash said, then glanced at James as though he'd just remembered the other was there. " Uh, no offense or anything. You just kinda pride yourself in being evil and all..."

" I was wondering the same thing.." James admitted and held his breath. _This is it..._ _she's gonna say 'Oh evil? There must be some mistake'._

" James," The fairy said sternly, " You know very well that you're not evil. You've never been good at being bad."

The team rocked member hung his head with a sigh. And Ash frowned. _Not evil? Well this is...different. __If team rocket is ever in my dreams I'm usually beating them, not watching them become...good..._

" But that's good, I mean that means you aren't supposed to be one of the bad guys. Remember the few times you actually helped Ash? Remember how well those times went? Well, that was a sign... You were always meant to be one of the good guys, you were just brought up by the wrong people."

James felt better and maybe even a little stronger too. He looked at Ash afraid to see hatred there, but instead the boy smiled at him and James couldn't help but smile back.

" We've got a lot to do before this dream state you're both in is over. You two have got to get at least some training from my friend on fighting and magic..."

" Oooh, will I get to throw fireballs at bad guys and stuff?" Ash asked, with a grin.

" And maybe I could fly!" James jumped sharing in the excitement.

" No, I don't think that's the kind of magic you'll be learning. You'll learn how to fight mostly, you can't use pokemon to defeat these bad guys."

" Wait, what will happen to our friends? Will they come with us?" Ash asked, suddenly worried.

" No, you'll still get to see them all the time, but I don't think you'd want to put them in any kind of danger." The fairy told them. " Come, we're running out of time."

The fairy put her hands together and moved them around to form a blue ball . The ball surged with immense power and she flung it into the stone wall in front of her. A door appeared and she gestured for the two to walk through it.

As the two young men began walking out, Ash looked over at James and had to hold back his laughter.

" What?"

" Cauldron warriors? What a corny name."

And they laughed as they walked through the door, with no idea of what awaited them on the other side.

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Author's note: July 6, 2005 is when I decided I needed to finish what I started. I loved writing fanfiction, but got distracted with so many things. My writing style has developed a lot and looking back at these makes me cringe, lol, so that's why I decided to go back and edit each of these chapters and I'd love to finish this story so we'll see how that goes. Please review, so I know I'm not editing and rewriting in vain. ;)

Hope you enjoyed.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters except for the fairy lady.


	2. Training?

1Someone once told me that I was special…but then they said "in that way"...and acted like it was a bad thing. I don't want to be special anymore... -James

THE LIGHT WITHIN

ch.2:Training?

The large cabin was a deep brown color and looked intimidating. It looked to be two or three stories tall. However, it was only one story.

An old woman used binoculars to look out her window, focusing on two boys walking down the path.

" Those are the two earth cauldron warriors? Ehehehehe! They'll snap like a twig with just a flick of my finger. Those two cowards won't last more then a few days!"

She hobbled over to the cabinet her long gray hair flowing over her green clammy skin. She shook it off and opened the cabinet door looking through the potions and.

" Ah this job is going to be the easiest thing I've ever had to do." She cackled opening up a small green bottle and smelling it's contents. Her crooked smile widened, as she gulped the whole thing down.

The change happened gradually, it started at the tips of her hair changing them to a soft brown color. Then her skin changed to a dark tanned color. Her spine straightened, and she lost any excess fat. Her eyes turned a soft blue. She looked years younger, and extremely good looking.

"Humph...I can get used to this."

She cackled, the sound completely contradictory to her looks. " Oh, this was far too easy. That 'warrior trainer' was a pushover, a bimbo!" She looked down. "Though she did have nice legs, heehee. And now that I look like her, that fairy warrior won't know the difference! HeeHeeehehehee!"

Her eyes turned to the road once more, the boys drew closer. " Giovanni this will be a cinch, you'll rule the world and I won't even have to kill those two. Without any training they'll be completely useless! Heehee!"

Ash and James walked up to the path and paused looking nervously at one another. They continued, without a word. _This is too weird...it has to be a dream... _The confidence Ash had felt earlier at being a cauldron warrior had faded, it just felt like a dream. And James? James from Team Rocket who enjoyed stealing or attempting to steal pokemon was supposed to be helping him? _No way..._

" Ash," How strange it sounded to actually say his name and not twerp or brat or… "Do you think this is real?"

Keeping his suspicions to himself, Ash shrugged, " I don't know."

" Well, to be certain. When we see each other tomorrow how about we both say something to know that this is all real. Or at least that we're both having the same exact dreams…"

" All right. What should we say?"

" Well, one could say cauldron and the other could reply with warrior. So we know for certain that this is more than… just a dream."

Ash nodded, "Okay."

They arrived at the cabin, and James couldn't help the nervousness that over took him. Ash reached out to knock on the door when it opened before he could touch it revealing a tall, slender young woman with long brown hair.

_Man, this is the kinda of thing I'd expect to find in Brock's dreams…_Ash grinned.

" So you two are the cauldron warriors I'm supposed to train?" She asked, and looked at them with hard eyes. "Well stop gawking, and you stop grinning like a dummy. Get inside. Go on."

The pair walked into a giant with equipment all around that must be used in training. Cabinets of all sorts lined the walls. The lady motioned to two metal chairs in the middle of the room, and the two at in them quickly James tapped his finger on the chair arm, and Ash looked around him, still grinning.

" So you two are cauldron warriors, eh?" She looked at them again, and then laughed. "Well what a sorry two we've got here...horrible really "

" Hey!" Ash shouted standing.

" Hey nothing, young man. Now you'll shut your mouth and stay seated while I decide if you two are worth the effort." The lady sneered, and Ash though still angry complied. " Do either of you really think that you can defeat...anything? Fight whatever may come your way?"

She waited for an answer, but got none. This was going so well for her. _Just as I planned…_

" Neither of you are strong enough, brave enough, or half good enough to be a cauldron warrior. Not to mention the fact that you both have no confidence in either yourself or what your supposed destiny is..."

" But the fairy said…" James argued.

" The _fairy _says a lot of things that aren't true. She does enjoy playing with mortals' minds, they're so fickle and naive after all!" The lady laughed again. " She…She probably sent you as a joke to me! And God is this FUNNY!" Her laughter became so hysterical that it echoed off the gym walls, Ash turned red.

" No! It wasn't a joke! And…and James and I can beat any evil that gets in the earth cauldron's way!"

James looked on, trying to believe Ash and not this woman and her harsh words... words he heard often. _Not strong, not brave, not good... but I'm trying to change..._

" Listen to me!" She shouted. " You're an unworthy, conceited, little brat who only wants to glorify himself and making himself look better than anyone else!"

Ash started to shake, his knuckles white from holding on so tightly to his chair arm. It felt like he'd been kicked in the gut, a hard realization hitting him.

She changed her gaze to James. " And you! You're nothing, you're a cowering, idiot who has no purpose, no reason for being here but to waste oxygen!"

James ran, his emotions getting the better of him. His chest felt like it would explode from the way his heart threw itself against it. It felt like he was dying... _Well it'd be better that way wouldn't it?_

Ash stood slowly trying to control his rage, "You are the ugliest woman I have ever met! And you can go burn in friggin' hell for all I care!"

He wanted to say more, so much more...but he was afraid he might try to attack her. Ash left in an angry huff, glaring at the woman the whole way out.

James struggled to keep his emotions in check. He could feel tears in his eyes.

" Damn, crybaby." He cursed at himself, and sighed rubbing his eyes.

Ash finally caught up with James. For a while, they walked in silence, not even looking at each other.

" That lady was totally out of line!" Ash burst out, "What right did she have to judge either of us? Now I know that saying is true, that looks can be deceiving. God, she was a real witch."

" Yea..." James sighed, "D'you think..."

"What?"

"D'you think some of the things she said...were right?"

Ash frowned thinking of his doubts about what was said about him, "I...I don't know."

The fairy stared in amazement into the cauldron's clear liquid. She had watched the whole scene take place, but still couldn't believe it. What in all good things... She trusted her friend with all her heart, this was completely unlike her.

Looking back into the cauldron she spoke softly.

" Show me why this happened!"

The liquid in the cauldron changed it got darker and darker until it was the color of black oil. The fairy hit the top of the liquid in frustration and some of it spattered on the ground below her.

" Why won't you show me why this has happened?"

And to her surprise she got an answer. " I have…"

" What? You…you don't talk…you never have before. Why would you now?"

Nothing.

" So, you like making jokes huh?" The fairy turned to see Ash and James standing in the doorway.

" No, don't believe anything that she told you. It was all a lie!"

" I thought she was your friend. If she were why'd she laugh at us and yell at us that way…" The sadness in his own voice, surprised Ash.

" I don't know, I don't know what just happened. She's never acted like that before. She's one of the kindest people I know, but from the moment she opened the door I knew something was wrong…I just can't figure out what."

" Wait how do you know all this?" Ash asked.

She gestured to the white cauldron. " It shows me most anything in this dream world that I would want to see."

" Then why don't you use it to see what happened?"

" I tried but the liquid only turned black. I don't know why it won't show me…"

" A witch." James said.

" Huh?" Ash looked at James.

" The lady might actually be a real witch. Y'know with magic spells and stuff like that…um…it'd kinda explain how she looks exactly like you're friend. She could've done a spell or something." James explained.

" Yes, it…it does make sense and I'll bet Giovanni was behind it. He probably hired her to come do this for him. I can't believe I hadn't thought of it before. The black must represent evil." The fairy realized.

" Way to go James!" Ash said, with a smile.

" Thanks." James grinned sheepishly.

Suddenly, the room began to flicker.

" Our time is up. You'll both be waking up soon. Remember I'll contact you again when it's time to start your journey." She told them, flickering herself.

" Wait! What about our training?" James asked

" You'll have to learn as you go. It'll be tough but you're both strong, you'll get by."

" Learn as we go?" James frowned.

The room was now flickering more and more. Ash felt as if he was being pulled out by some unknown force. At the last moment Ash could faintly hear James yell, " Remember! Cauldron. Warriors."


	3. Waking up

1Some days you just don't want to get up in the morning...

The Light Within

Ch.3: The Next Day

Ash sat up straight in his sleeping bag. The sun had already risen and now sat far overhead baking him with hot rays. Ash stretched and let his eyes close. He felt exhausted, but he must've gotten sleep. It's hard to wake up without being asleep first.

He shook his head to ease his blurred vision and saw that Misty and Brock must've already gotten up. Ash had a nagging feeling, something that said he was supposed to remember...something. From the night before…and in a flash it all came back to him. He remembered everything about the dream, down to the last detail, which was strange for him. Normally he could only remember vague ideas and images from dreams.

Ash stood up, seeing Misty and Brock close by, cooking breakfast. He yawned and headed towards them.

" Cauldron warriors…ha."

James almost missed the chance to see Ash that day. Jessie and Meowth had proclaimed the day for a vacation and he'd almost agreed, but then he remembered. Remembered that he had to see Ash today, had to know the truth about last night.

So instead of cheering with them, he'd made a wonderous speech. He claimed that they should never take a break, not till they'd won. And if the chance to win was today, they'dd miss it. And besides the boss would get mad if he found out. That had done it, it had given the others a great burst of confidence and they agreed with. James wished he felt the same, confident, ha, that was a laugh.

They formulated a plan, and now went to carry that plan out. That's where they were now. Hiding in a tree. Waiting for the precise moment for the twerps to arrive and wam! They'd hit them with a surprise attack! Of course, they had to say the motto, so there would be plenty of chances for the twerps to prepare…but that didn't matter to James now. What mattered was the truth.

Feeling a tap on his shoulder, James turned to Jessie who pointed to where the twerps now came into view James put on a fake evil grin and nodded. She smiled back and with her hand counted. 3...2...1...they jumped down.

" Prepare for trouble…" Jessie began.

" And make it double." James replied.

James could barely go through with it. He didn't have the gleeful spirit he was famous for, but...in reality, he rarely did. In fact his whole life, he felt he'd been living lie. The motto continued and only at the end did James look at Ash, who was glaring at him.

Ash felt weird around James now, it was if they had created some bond in the dream last night. No, it was if, he had created some bond with a James that was only an image his brain put into some stupid, senseless dream he'd had. But the mere fact that he felt this strange friendship….not friendship, he hadn't even become friends with him for God's sake! But just the fact that he felt so weird made him angry...

" You evil heartless bastard!" Ash shouted much to the surprise of everyone else.

" You self-centered, cocky little brat!" James yelled back, getting angry himself.

" You purple haired, ugly, worth-less freak!" James and Ash grew closer to each other with each word, both seemingly infuriated with the other.

" You slime faced, poor excuse for a pokemon trainer, even uglier, asshole!"

" You puking son of a jackass!" Ash countered.

" Errrrr, Cauldron damn it!" James finally shouted, and everyone looked at him like he'd lost his mind. Everyone except a very shocked Ash.

Ash breathed heavily for a long time. Suddenly, James wondered if he really was so delusional and last night was nothing but a dream. The awkward silence seemed to mount endlessly.

"…warrior.." Ash replied finally.

Before anyone could say anything else, a white light shone around the two. James and Ash were lifted into the sky and disappeared in front of the horrified glances of their friends, leaving nothing but their pokeballs.

Ash and James landed in the stone room from the night before. James was laughing his head off despite the anger he had displayed only seconds earlier. Ash gave him a look.

"What's so funny?"

" 'You puking son of a jackass'? What the hell?" James said still laughing and Ash joined him.

After a while, their laughter faded and they turned to face the fairy. There was no doubt now this was either real or one very long dream.

" Great, now that we're finished maybe we can get onto saving the world." The fairy said, pale arms folded; Ash and James exchanged glances.

" There's no time to waste, Giovanni's created this giant metal monster in the lowland swamps. He's surrounded it with his minions and the swamp is already full of evil creatures of all sorts."

"Wait," Ash interrupted. " How do we fight? I mean…since our training was canceled."

" As I said last night, you'll learn as you go. Most of it you'll be using you're hands and feet. However, I do have swords for you two but they shouldn't be used until you approach the metal beast or any of Giovanni's strongest minions. You'll know when you encounter them who they are. Magic can be used also, that you'll definitely have to learn on your own. I don't know about your magic."

" Why do we have to destroy this 'metal monster'. I mean, we're only supposed to be protecting the earth cauldron right?" James asked.

" Yes. However, Giovanni created this monster to find the earth cauldron. It's got excellent tracking abilities, it's one of the only machines that can track magic. The earth cauldron emits more magic than anything else in the world...making it extremely vulnerable to this machine. Besides it will be good practice for you."

" Practice?" Ash exclaimed. " Risking our lives is considered practice? What do we have to do in the real thing, actually die in order to save the day."

_Possibly, _the fairy thought.

" Rest here," she motioned to the left and two beds appeared. " I'll have everything ready for you and when you wake up, you'll be in the swamps. Time will run normally, unlike it did last night. You'll no longer be in the dream state. Good luck, you can do this, it's written in the legends."

James wondered how much of a legend is actually true…

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Author's note: Two chapters left to edit, and then it's starting work on chapter 6. Thanks for your patience, and reviews are greatly appreciated.


	4. The Swamp

1

The Light Within

Chapter 4: The swamp

James moaned in pain, he felt like he'd just been blasted off again, but wasn't he just sleeping in a soft bed? James opened his eyes. The place he was in nowdefinetly lacking in any beds. Slimy, ugly, and grimy, the swamp land bubbled dangerously.

"Ugh..."

He stood up, his body ached terribly. The swamp looked very intimidating, burbling and gurgling like it were alive. James walked backwards and tripped over something. Standing up quickly, James got into a defensive position ready to attack what had tripped him. It was Ash, who was moaning and standing up himself.

" Sorry."

" About what?" Ash asked stretching.

" Uh, never mind. Look, we better get going. It looks like this will take a while.." James said.

" Wo.." Ash mumbled, looking at the swamp for the first time.

" Yeah I know." James agreed.

" Wait, here are those packs the fairy promised us before." Ash said shoving a backpack at James.

Opening it, James saw that it was filled with ropes, matches, almost everything one would bring on a camping trip and more.

"Oh here are the swords too, right next to where the backpacks were." Ash took his in hand, and gave James the other one.

The sheath was blue with golden lines creating a design on parts of it. Slowly, James removed the sword and looked closely at the masterpiece in front of him. It was long and curved, like a pirate's sword, and came to a short handle at the end.

Ash was examining his own sword, which was shaped much like James, but the blade was shorter. Ash's sheath had red and white on it. Without saying anything, both boys put their swords back into their sheathes and into their packs.

" Come on. The faster we get this done, the sooner we can be back with our friends explaining what has happened." Ash said.

" That's not something I'm looking forward too..."

" Yeah, but that's nothing we can escape. The longer it takes us here the more they're going to worry... Plus their my friends and I can't wait to tell them the great news! Cauldron warrior, man, they won't believe it!"

James smiled faintly, "Yea..." He wondered if Ash considered him a friend yet.

Ash continued walking, until he had taken his first step in the swamp followed closely by James. The muddy water that they had to travel through was sticky, dark, and murky.. Ash wrinkled his nose at the ugly smell that surrounded them, traveling was slow. Every now and then they'd get their feet stuck, and the murky liquid would seep into their shoes.

They continued as the swamp rose to their hips. James began to wonder if there would be any creatures that would have to be killed. He hadn't seen or heard anything else moving yet. James began to wonder a little too soon….

Ash heard it, the sound of moving water. He looked around him but saw nothing except for James who was busy getting his foot out of the mud again. Ash shrugged and continued on. Until he heard the sound again… He frowned.

" Hey James, don't you think there should be some scary music or something when a bad creature is around? Y'know like in the movies…it'd be a lot easier that way I'll tell you that." Ash got no answer; he turned around and James was gone.

" James?" Ash searched the waters but no sign of anything or anyone. "James? Come on...this isn't funny. Or fair. Damn it."

Ash walked to the last place he'd seen James, and his foot went fell through. There was no ground to walk on. Suddenly he felt and felt the mud slide right past him as he continued falling much farther down then the swamp should've been. He looked up and saw the ground above him grow back together.

" What in the…" Ash stood up and rubbed dirt and mud off his face and eyes.

" Glad you could make it." Said a pained voice from behind him.

Ash turned to see James on the floor.

" Yeah, well I didn't want to miss out on all of the fun." He paused. " You all right?"

" Fine, just feeling a little sore." James replied getting up.

" Me too. So where do you suppose we are?" Ash looked around, but there was nothing to see.

" The ground. I mean, I don't think we're below ground... I think we're actually on the ground."

" What?"

" I think…that the ground above us isn't actually ground. The way it grew back together like that after we fell in…just isn't..right..."

" So, what are you saying?" Ash asked.

" I'm saying that I think the ground is some kinda of creature. That this swamp area wasn't really meant to be a swamp at all…" James said.

" Oh."

They were silent. And it seemed as though it would stay that way for a while, but then the ground shook.

" What was that?" James asked.

" I'm not sure, but I think it's time to bring out those swords…" Ash replied surprised because his hands were shaking.

" But didn't the fairy say…

" Forget that, I am not going to try and fight with my hands. I am no Jackie Chan and you're no Buffy Summers."

" Oh all right I'm not going to….Hey, why do _I_ get the female comparison?"

The rumbling grew louder, and the creature that was making it finally jumped out of the shadows to reveal itself. James tried not to scream. _Cauldron warrior, you're meant to do this...you can do this..But that thing is...big and scary and mean and strong!_ It reminded Ash of a giant lizard that could walk and move like a human. His heart beat quickened, this was different than any battle he'd ever done before.

Ash reached in his pack and pulled out his sword. _Now time for some action._ He really had been looking forward to this, even though it was dangerous. But every time he'd watched his pokemon battle, he wished that he could get in and fight too. Now, he finally had his chance.

Standing in his best battle position, he waited for the lizard to make the first move. The monster stared at them a long, before it seemed to realize that they stood there. Ash thought he saw it smile before it swung at them. With incredibly reflexes, Ash and James simultaneously jumped back out of the way of the swing.

Ash jogged backwards and allowed the lizard to follow him. The lizard swung again missing by a long shot. The monster swung once more, Ash dodged, rolled in and sliced. The ugly creature screamed and recoiled holding it's wounded leg. Then turned it's ugly glare at Ash.

" Uh,oh"

He heard the thing scream and limped as quickly as it could in pursuit of Ash. Ash ran and figured he'd gained a lot of distance on the creature who's limp must've slowed him down. Faintly, Ash could hear James yell his name. Ash turned to the direction of the voice; the lizard was closer than he thought.

He felt a sharp sting, as the lizards large hands swiped him aside. With a thump, he landed on the ground near James. James yelped and looked Ash over quickly, but then realized the threat was still nearby. The lizard seemed to be smiling, as if it was saying _ha, this guy should be easy, he'll be a cinch._

James felt infuriated, anger replaced what would've other been pity for himself or fear. His anger gave him strength. A tingling sensation covered James' body, he was covered in some sort of blue electricity. _Magic! _

James looked up, just as the lizard prepared to strike. James yelled in fright now, throwing his hands forward, the blue electricity flew from his fingers and smashed into the monster. The creature didn't know what hit him, as he fell over in convulsions then finally lay still. James' eyes widened in amazement.

From behind him, Ash stood up. " I was wrong…"

" About what?" James turned to look at him now, his eyes sheepish.

" Who we are. I'm a ninja...and _you..._ You're like that Static Shock guy!"

Author's note: Chapter 5 is next for rewrite. Suggestions, advice, critiques, and comments are welcome.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters…..


	5. Practice

It is time to discover exactly what you can do….

**THE LIGHT WITHIN**

Ch.5: Practice

It was large, metal and strong with great powers of destruction. Its iron fists could crush a building in seconds and destroy an entire city in less than a minute. It was over eight feet tall and when it walked it shook the ground, but most importantly it could run on it's own and had a tracking system like no other.

The Team Rocket executive wondered why such a strong beast was needed for such a simple task. What was so great about some old cauldron anyway. After all the legend was just old folklore that had been highly exaggerated over the centuries, right? But then again, the boss wasn't a stupid man, no quite the opposite. So, why had he sent some of his best inventions and some of his best men to bring it back to him? Unless, there was something else Giovanni was looking for that he knew was with the cauldron, something worth some money.

Money would be nice… the organization of Team Rocket had seen better days, much better days. It didn't help any that most of the members were hopelessly worthless and horrible at their jobs or that all of those twerps out there were fighting back now. And so the enemy group continued to trudge through the swampland, boots on, as one Team Rocket executive thought of money and was comforted.

Meanwhile, Ash and James made their way through the endless lack of scenery underneath the swamp creature for what seemed like hours.

Ash sighed and looked around, " Do you think we're missing something here?"

" I don't know…" Came the reply and just as he said it they heard a large thumping noise, that sounded as though it was coming from above them.

" Not another lizard dude…"

James looked up and the noise grew louder, whatever it was, it was coming towards them, from up there.

James looked at Ash, " Why isn't… whatever that is, falling through like we did?"

Ash shrugged, " Well, we walked for awhile before we were sucked through….what were you doing the moment before it pulled you through."

" I was…well, I was thinking about my parents and I was getting really angry at them…when I saw that my hands were getting that electricity we saw before……"

" Wo, and you didn't tell me?" Ash exclaimed.

James shook his head, " No, I wasn't sure what it was…thought maybe I'd imagined it…anyway, that was when I was sucked through."

" Right and I walked over to where you were and fell through too…"

" You don't suppose that the thing up there is weak against that electric stuff that comes out of my fingers?"

Ash thought a moment; " Maybe…and right now it's our only possibility, so let's try to get out of here with it."

" But how?" James asked, as Ash kneeled down and reached into the pack.

Ash pulled out a rope and continued to look for something. _Come on_, he thought, _I know it's in her somewhere…_

"Aha!" He cried pulling out a hatchet and closing the pack again.

James looked at Ash closely, " What is that for?"

" I've got an idea, just trust me."

James sighed, " I've heard that before…"

Ash took the rope and tied it tightly around the wooden handle of the hatchet. He double tied it and tested the strength of the knot in the handle. James took a step back, as Ash twirled his creation around by the rope and then flung the hatchet into the green creature above. The hatchet went in deep and the temporary hole inside the creature was quickly covered again, burying the hatchet with it.

" Hopefully it'll hold." Ash said pulling on it slightly. " And now the rest of it is up to you. You climb up first and use your electricity to make a hole. Just don't make the hole where the hatchet is. Then you climb through and make a hole for me."

James was impressed, " Wow. How'd you come up with an idea like that?"

Ash shrugged and James grabbed onto the rope and began climbing up. It was a short climb, but creating the electricity would be the hard part. The shaking from above was still going on, getting louder every few minutes and it made it harder for James to concentrate. _All right_, he thought, _think of something that'll make you angry again_. And so he thought about how he didn't have the courage to tell Jessie how he felt and got angry with himself. He got so angry with himself that his entire body surged with electricity and when he touched the slimy creature above a large hole was created.

James grabbed onto the top and began to climb out of the hole. Grabbing onto the sticky sides of the hole; then pulling himself to the swampy land…well creature above. The hole stuck a minute or two more and then it closed up again. It was only when he was completely covered in the muck from head to foot did James notice how loud the noise from before had got. He looked behind him and to his surprise in the distance he could see a large machine, made of iron that followed three men in black Team Rocket uniforms.

" Damn." He cursed turning back around and using the electricity that was slowly leaving him to make another hole.

Ash's hand came up and James quickly grabbed on to it, carrying him up through the swamp. Now they were both covered in the muck, but that certainly wasn't their main concern. The group of Team Rocket members had obviously spotted them and were running in Ash and James direction.

" Holy crap they've got guns!" James exclaimed seeing them pull guns from their waists. " What can we do against guns? What in the heck can we do against a hundred some mile per hour bullets?"

" James calm down."

" But…but…but…"

Ash looked sharply at him, " Calm down already."

" I don't want to die anymore!" He screamed running around.  
" James, get a hold of yourself!" Ash reached over and slapped him.

James looked down embarrassed, " Sorry…had a little of my old Team Rocket days catch up with me…"

" They aren't that old…" Ash said, trying to think of what they could do.

The Team Rocket members began to shoot when they were within range, but still were too far away to hit anything. The iron machine behind them moved slowly and was now far behind them. Ash looked around, there had to be something they could use. He took out his sword and examined it.

" Maybe these…" He muttered thinking.

" Ash duck!" James shouted pushing Ash out of the way as the bullets were gaining more accuracy.

Now they lay crouched on the ground and Ash looked at James. " Maybe we can use our swords…"

" Uh…good idea…except I don't think swords will do us much good against guns." James stated covering his head; he had also been trying to come up with ideas, but could think of nothing.

Ash stood up suddenly and looked the team rocket members in the eye, though he didn't know it then, his eyes flashed a brilliant crimson as he brought up his sword to his face and then without realizing it, flung it towards the team rocket members.

" Get down, already! Are you crazy?" James was calling frantically from below him.

The sword went from person to person slicing through each and every one of their guns, before swinging back and landing perfectly, handle down, in Ash's hand. The Team Rocket members became frightened and screamed yelling in the other direction. The machine however, didn't falter, and as the team rocket members came running, it randomly grabbed one with it's strong fist, the same one that had just been thinking of money, and crushed him, throwing his lifeless body on the ground.

" All right," James said, standing up with a look of determination on his face that was trying to hide his horror. " It's time to get serious."

Ash nodded and together they stood awaiting the battle. The machine moved slowly, too slowly, the intensity of the battle ahead grew with every passing moment and the suspense was horrible.

" James…I think I know how we can beat this…"

James looked over at him, " I think I know what you mean."

And amazingly they did understand each other, without even explaining anything they carried out their plan. Ash moved forward quickly trying to gain the machine's attention, while James moved behind a bush to hide. The iron monster turned as its censors caught the movement.

" Hey over here you big lug!" Ash shouted, tempting the machine to follow him, and it took nearly fiveteen minutes for the machine to get in just the right position. "Okay, James. Anytime your ready!"

Jumping out from behind the bush, James launched a wave of electricity straight for the ground below the machine. The swamp surface retreated leaving a huge hole for the machine to fall down into. Unfortunately, Ash hadn't backed away enough and was falling in as well.

" Ash!" James managed to jump and grab hold of Ash's hand, pulling him to safety.

The swamp surface quickly pulled back together again, covering the machine completely. For a moment, they stood perfectly still, covered in muck, before they realized what they had done.

" We…did it." James breathed wiping his face off with his muddy palms.

Ash nodded, smiling, " Yep, we sure did."

" Woo hoo! We did it!" The former team rocket member, smiled happily, and thought, _I finally did something right!_

Author's note: Ack I am so sorry, what has it been like several months…a year, since I last added a chapter to this story? Well I have a sorta good excuse this time…I moved, across a couple a states, but that still isn't a very good excuse. ** sigh **I'll never get into that same flow of writing as I did those first few stories. Oh well. Next chapter is James and Ash coming back to tell their friends about who they are truly destined to be. (and this time I WILL write it a month or I'll….I'll…jump of a cliff or something!)

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters, though I would particularly like to get my hands on that hottie named James.


	6. Telling Them

_These are the times that test friends…_

The Light Within 

Ch.6: Telling Them

A bright light shone over an open field, and two boys fell to the ground below it. One of them had blue hair, the other black. As the light faded out into the darkness of the night, they looked at each other.

" Well that was weird," James said, standing up. " The fairy didn't answer any of our questions."

Ash nodded, " And then she just sticks us in the middle of some field? Where are we anyway?"

James looked around, and recognized the road to the north of them. He motioned for Ash to follow as he walked towards the dirt path, the moon his only light. They could hardly see, but they managed to walk there with little problem.

" I think this is the place where we last disappeared, y'know just before we went into the swampland." .

" Looks like they didn't stick around though, did they?"

Shaking his head, James looked up at the stars, " Jessie and Meowth probably got blasted off again…"

Ash winced, " Sorry about that…"

" No, it's okay. We shouldn't have tried to steal your pokemon so much. It was pretty stupid."

" It was your job though, I should have been more understanding."

" Understanding of people who were always trying to steal your pokemon?"

"Yea...now that you think about it doesn't sound very logical." Ash scratched his head a little, and shrugged.

"I'm sorry for being a jerk."

" Yeah, well I wasn't the nicest guy either. I'm sorry too."

They were silent for a long time; a cool breeze blew in from the north, blowing James's blue hair softly.

"Well, I'm gonna go find my friends now." Ash said, looking down the path. "They're probably in the next town...hoping I'll show up. I'm sure I'll see you the next time the fairy calls..."

"Oh, uh, yeah..." James looked down. Something about the way he'd said friends, made him wonder again if Ash thought of him as a friend or just a partner..forced into this thing together. "I should find Jessie and Meowth too."

But when he looked up, Ash was already gone.

It didn't take long for Ash to get to the next town, maybe an hour or so, and that time seemed to be cut in half. He was preoccupied with other thoughts, and payed attention as he walked into a nearby pokecenter and then was attacked.

" Pika!" Pikachu cried, jumping on Ash's back.

Ash laughed, " Hey buddy, good to see you again."

" Ash, thank God!" Misty screamed, tackling him with a hug. " We didn't know what to think. I was so worried. I thought I'd never… I mean, _we_ were so worried, we thought we'd never see you again!"

Brock walked up behind her, nodding. " Misty's only being slightly dramatic. What happened? We thought team rocket might've taken you, but they seemed confused and worried about James too."

" You didn't…blast them off did you?"

" Yeah we had to, they started to attack us."

" Oh…" Ash frowned, " Hey look, I have a lot to tell you two, maybe we should sit down somewhere."

His friends gave him a strange look, but nodded. They sat in the poke center's lounge. Ash told them all he knew, and all that had happened. When he was finished, blank stares met him.

" Well, you guys gonna say anything?"

Brock started slowly, " Ash this is…interesting…and all…but…"

" Are you crazy?" Misty broke in, standing up. " What about your dream, your real dream, remember becoming a pokemon master? You're going to give all that up for this…this…"

Brock put a hand on Misty's shoulder to silence her, and Ash looked at them both. What was wrong with them? Didn't they realize the world was more important than some stupid title? And then he realized the truth.

" You two…don't believe me, do you?"

" Ash…" Misty said, her voice going softer. " It's just that this is all sounding a bit too weird. I mean cauldron warriors, magic, evil bent on taking over the world… that's all fantasy. It's not real."

" Then how do you explain James and I just disappearing into thin air, huh?"

Brock looked firmly at his friend, " A psychic pokemon like Abra could easily use teleport, and teleport you both anywhere it wanted. Maybe…team rocket drugged you, made you believe all that stuff happened. So this way you'd trust James, and make it easier for them to still pikachu."

" I can't believe you two! You're just making this stuff up to make yourselves feel better, so you won't have to think that the world's in danger. Well guess what! It is! I know what I saw, I didn't make it up, and neither did anyone else. James is a good guy, he just headed down the wrong path. And right now, he's a better friend to me than either of you! I'll see you two when you can get your act together!"

With that, Ash walked out of the door, pikachu following quickly after him.

" Ash no! Don't go please!" Misty yelled after him prepared to run to keep him with her, but Brock grabbed her hand tightly, shaking his head.

"He's too angry right now. We'll let him cool down...then try to talk more sense into him."

Misty nodded and sighed. _I didn't mean to hurt you, Ash...please...come back._

" James! Oh God, James! I…uh…" Jessie, held James tight, until she realized what she was doing and put her arms down. " Where have you been? We had to fight those measly twerps without you! What did that kid do to you? Did he hurt, you? If he did so help me, I'll tear him limb from limb till he wishes he'd never been born!"

" No, Jess, I'm fine. Really." James said, smiling at her then Meowth.

" We taught you were a gonner Jimmy!" The cat pokemon admitted.

" Believe me there were times I thought the same thing..."

" Huh?"

James shook his head, " Nothin."

" You seem...different James. Is something wrong?" The look in her eyes, sent his heart reeling.

" Not…really. Sit down, we have to talk…"

James told them everything from the first dream to what happened next. Told them how their boss was evil, and how James and Ash were supposed to save the world. His tale was met with laughter.

" Thanks a lot for your support guys."

Jessie shook her head, between laughs, " Oh, James, come on. Don't tell me you honestly_ believe_ that! We're evil, remember? We try to steal things and ruin people's lives ourselves. How can you save the world from evil if you _are_ evil?"

" Jess, has got a point! Betcha that kid brainwashed you, made you believe all dat stuff so's we wouldn't steal dey're pokemon, anymore. Ha, what a hoot! Savin' de world, magic, cauldrons! Haven' heard someden dat funny in a long time!" Meowth agreed laughing as well.

James turned his face away, because he couldn't hide the sadness in his eyes. Was it true? Could it be? He should've known all along that it wasn't real, that he wasn't meant to save the world. How could he do that? A hand was on his shoulder, squeezing it tight. He turned to see Jessie there.

" Don't worry about it okay? It wasn't your fault you believed any of that crap they put in your mind."

He looked down, " But Jess, I thought I _was_ somebody, a real somebody... for the first time in my life."

" Hey, you'll always be a somebody to me, okay?"

James nodded with a smile that didn't quiet reach his eyes. And as he lay on the ground that night trying to sleep, he couldn't help wondering what was real and what wasn't. That lizard had seemed real, being covered in muck had seemed real, the fairy had seemed real, being shot with bullets had seemed real. Was it possible it was all, fake? That he'd been brainwashed?

His doubts prevented him from sleeping. Standing in the darkness, James glanced as his friends. _They_ were real. He walked into the forest without any notion of where he was going or why. The moon provided light and he found himself at a creek. When he got there, he was no longer alone.

" Ash?"

How James knew who the dark figure bent over at the creek was, he didn't know. But when the figure turned to look at him, Ash's face was there.

" James?" Ash laughed, and it sounded hollow. "Funny meeting you here."

James nodded, " Yeah." Come to think of it, he'd been drawn here...strange.

" The moon's pretty tonight." Ash said.

James looked at the white ball in the sky for the first time, "It is… so what are you doing here?"

Ash shrugged, " I could ask you the same."

" Yeah but my answer wouldn't be very interesting. Found Jessie and Meowth, they're sleeping right over there."

" Oh…" Ash sighed, shaking his head. " I found Misty and Brock, but let's just say they didn't take the news too well. They thought that you three had drugged me, so you guys could steal my pokemon…something stupid like that. I got angry, and left."

He looked to see James's reaction, but the former rocket member didn't move his sad gaze from the creek.

" So guess since you're still near your friends, they took it better?"

" No..." James bit his lip, and closed his eyes trying to keep his emotion in check. "They..They laughed at me."

" They laughed at you?"

" Yeah, told me you probably brainwashed me so that I would stop trying to steal your pokemon." James took in a sharp breath, and shook his head. "Only difference is I started to believe them."

Ash stood suddenly, "You what?"

" I...I'm sorry! I didn't mean it like that… I just…oh, God…I'm sorry."

Ash shook his head, " No way! No freakin way! This is _not _happening. I thought out of everyone, at least _you _would believe me. But no, not even you! Are you really that thick headed? Look at all we went through together! You think I'd make all that up, JUST so you would stop trying to steal my pokemon?"

James winced outwardly, standing too, " It's not like that! You don't understand, they were so convincing and I…I…"

" Shut up!"

" …But Ash I'm serious it's just that…"

" I'm serious, you better shut up!"

" Can't you listen to me, I'm trying to tell you…"

" I said, SHUT UP!" He swung his fist hard at James, hitting the other boy in the cheek and knocking him down.

James stayed there on the ground his head in his hands. Ash turned away, arms shaking.

" I'm…sorry Ash. It's just…we're so different. You're confident, you believe in yourself, you're brave, and you can stand up for yourself. Not me. I'm worthless Ash, I've been worthless my whole life." There were tears in his eyes from admitting what he felt, but had never told anyone before.

Ash turned to look at him, tears of his own falling, " It's...okay. I'm really sorry… about hitting you. It's just…I thought my friends would understand. I couldn't take another person not believing in what I said. You're not worthless okay?"

James said nothing, staring at the ground. The other boy took a seat next to him, pikachu climbing into his lap.

" What are we going to do?"


	7. Now What?

It's like that...

The Light Within

Chapter 7: Now What

They sat in silence for what must've been an hour in the dark. Ash traced his finger around in the dirt, James stared at the creek, pikachu dozed in Ash's lap, the only one of the three exhausted companions who could sleep.

"So what's next?" James looked over at Ash for the first time since he'd been hit.

Ash winced at the bruise that was forming on the team rocket member's face, "I don't know. I guess I'll leave in the morning."

"To where?"

"I don't know." Ash shrugged. "Doesn't matter."

_This isn't good...he's starting to sound more like me than himself._ James bit his lip, and looked at the creek again. "What'll you do?"

"I don't know, Okay? Why are you asking me all these questions?" Ash growled.

_That's more like it... _James shrugged, "I don't know."

-------------

The suns' rays landed directly on the sleeping trio. The tallest lay forward over his crossed legs, his pale hand almost reaching the edge of the creek. The shorter boy had fallen asleep sitting up, and the small pokemon lay curled between his legs.

"James! How dare you walk off like that! And what are you doing with him? JAMES! JAMES GET UP!" The screeching voice scared a few birds from a nearby tree.

Pikachu was the first to wake, taking one look at who owned the voice, the pokemon quickly pushed against his friend's chest and then sent a small shock on him to wake him up.

"Ow!" Ash woke up, took one look at the infuriated person standing above him, and kicked James in the ribs.

"Uhcapo." James mumbled, holding his side and sitting up in pain. He turned, and then stood in immediate recognition. "Jessie! Uh, hi...what are you...doing here?"

"Looking for you, you knuckle head! Why did you walk off with him?"

"I...uh, I didn't...it's not like that Jessie. I just went on a walk, because I couldn't sleep and y'know..."

"Oh and you just happened to find _him _there?" Jessie turned her glaring eyes to Ash, who stepped backwards.

James frowned, "Well actually..."

"I don't want to hear it!" Jessie said, folding her arms and sighing in a huff.

_Since the argument involves me..._ Ash put his backpack on, "Look, I'm leaving anyway so it doesn't matter."

James watched him carefully then looked at Jessie, "I...I..." _The woman you love... or your partner against crime... _Ash started to walk away, Jessie turned to glare at him now. _The woman who has no idea you love her and probably never will...or the only person who believes that you have good within you._

"I'm going with him."

"What?" Jessie asked, her eyes ablaze with anger.

Ash turned around.

"I said, I'm going with him. With you, Ash."

Jessie growled, "James, you know what we told you about him! He's just using you!"

"You don't have to do that James. What about your friends?"

"Yes! What about us?"

James bit his lip, "Well, I mean... They don't believe in me...in this. And right now this is really important. If I go back with them we'll just keep trying to steal pokemon and...that's just not who I am."

"What do you mean?" Jessie felt tears in her eyes. _Damn he is the only person who could do this to me..._

"I'm sorry, Jess. It's not that I don't care about you anymore. I.. I..." _Love you. _"I just can't live like this. And this whole saving the world thing is true, I just wish you could believe me."

James looked at her one more time, then walked away, head down. Ash patted him on his back, and together they walked further into the woods.

"Oh James..." Jessie said, her knees falling to the dirty ground, tears mixing with her blush and dripping pink across her chin.

------------------

"So, uh, where are we going again?" James struggled to keep up with Ash, who's pace seemed only to quicken.

Ash threw him a look, "I told you last night. I don't know."

"Yea, but we've been walking for an hour now. Thought you might've figured it out by now."

"Well, I hoped the fairy would...whisk us away and all. But nothing." Ash sighed, they were further into the forest than he had meant to go and now he was definitely lost.

"We're lost aren't we?" James said, as though he'd shared the same thought.

Ash turned to him, "No. We're not. I know exactly where we are."

"Which would be?"

"In a big forest."

"In other words, we're lost..."

"I-..." But before he could say anymore, his head reeled sharply. Ash put a hand to his screaming forehead.

"Pika?" The small pokemon stared, worry in it's big black eyes.

James looked at him, saw the pain in his eyes, "Hey, are you o-.."

But then he felt it too, pushing him into the brink of oblivion, shoving him into nothingness. It was dark, and that was all they knew.

---------------

Opening his eyes hurt, but James refused to fall back into the darkness. Part of him wanted to stay in that nothingness so badly, he was afraid he'd never come back out of it if he stayed any longer. They weren't in the stone room, like he expected; they were in a cave. A green cauldron sat in the middle of the cave, it looked similar to the fairy one. Somehow he could sense the magic pouring from it.

Next to him, Ash stayed unmoving and unconscious. He looked peaceful for the first time since James had found him by the creek last night. He didn't want to wake and ruin it for the other boy, but then... He remembered his own feelings in the darkness. No pain. Nothing. It had been wonderful. Ash could very well get stuck in that state if he didn't do something about it. James kicked him softly. No response. He kicked him harder. Still nothing. He felt the worry knot up at the pit of his stomach. James took both of Ash's shoulder and shook him.

"Ash! Ash, wake up! Come on, wake up!" James' frantic voice grew louder, "ASH! We've got a world to save. Snap! Out! Of! It!"

"Try this, it might work better."

James jumped. _Who the-?_ An old man sat beside a dwindling fire near the cauldron. _Hi, I'm James. From the real world. And where did you say you came from? Thin air? Wonderful... _The old man held out a cup towards him, and James warily accepted it. He looked at the mushy green contents, and frowned in disgust.

"It may look disgustin', but it's the only thing that'll wake him up." The man said and smiled revealing his yellow teeth.

James gave a weak smile in return, _This guy is weird_. He put the cup up to the unconscious boy's lips, and watched as it slid in. Ash gasped and then sat up, sputtering green goo all over. Wiping some off his face, James let out a sigh of relief.

"Welcome back, boy." The old man laughed, and poked a stick into the fire.

Ash raised an eyebrow, "Who the hell are you? And what _was_ that...stuff? God it tasted horrible."

"Heh, that's my own little secret boy. Here relax." The man threw him a rag to clean up with. "I'm the guardian of this cauldron, the plant cauldron."

"You?" Ash blurted out. _What could this old fogey do against attackers?_

"Old fogey? Boy, you sure don't know how to talk to your elders."

"How did... when did...but I..." Ash turned to James. "He just read my mind!"

James gawked at them both, then realized what that could mean for him. _Don't think, don't think, don't think...can't let him... enter... damn, this is thinking isn't it?_

"You're not very successful at trying to keep me out, boy. Heh. Yes I can read minds, humans are more difficult to read than other creatures. You should learn not to judge someone before you give 'em a chance, eh? Mind control, mind reading, telekinesis, my powers don't require physical strength, only the strength of the mind." He stated, tapping his head knowingly.

"Okay, great! So now that I've been violated! Mind telling us why we're here?" Ash would get up in leave if he knew...where he was in the first place.

"The fairy's after the earth cauldron."

"What?" James looked at him as though he were crazy. "But that doesn't make sense! Why would she recruit us to protect it if she wanted it herself?"

"Because it was her job to recruit you both. Because she didn't realize that she wanted it until after she'd gotten you both. The earth cauldron holds more power than anything else in this world, everyone, good, evil, is attracted to that power, and eventually will become consumed by it."

"Why should we believe you?" Ash really didn't like this guy.

"What reason would I have to lie to you?"

"Maybe you have something against the fairy! How should I know?"

"It's your choice, believe me or not. In the end, it will be your own down fall..." The man said, looking annoyed himself as he clicked his fingers.

"Wha?" But then there was the sharp pain beating against his head. _This seems awfully familiar..._ And he sunk into the darkness, despite all his attempts to fight back, once more.

----------------------

When he awoke this time, he wished he could go back to sleep, would do anything to be able to, but his heart raced and he could hardly catch his breath. James opened his eyes to darkness. Must still be unconscious... But eventually, his eyes adjusted to the pale light from the stars and moon. They were back in the forest where they'd collapsed. Ash sat against a tree, arms folded, eyes staring off into the distance, Pikachu sat next to him, strangely silent.

"Ash. Ash!" James called.

Ash looked at him, "What?"

"Do...do you think what the man told us about. I mean," James sighed. "It's not true is it?"

"How should I know? I was there with you just the same. I don't know anymore than you do."

James looked away, "I...know. I just thought. Well, if everyone's so attracted to that cauldron, shouldn't that man be too? Shouldn't he want it just as much as he says everyone else does?"

Ash nodded.

"So either he was lying or he's just as much of a threat. But then if it's true about the cauldron changing people, consuming them.." James bit his lip and tried to come to terms with it all. "Who can we trust, Ash?"

"We can trust each other." Ash said firmly, and James looked at him, surprised. _Trust? _Sometimes he had doubts thateven Jessie trusted him.

"Okay...okay." James repeated trying to sound confident. "But what'll we do? Anything the fairy tells us could simply be a way to get her closer to the cauldron."

"We find the cauldron ourselves."

"If we get to it first, we can protect it directly."

"Exactly." Ash sighed, looking at the tree branches above him. "Only problem is we don't even know where to start."

"We're going to need some help, definitely. And that means..."

"Yea...I know what that means..."

_-------------------------------------------_

_Author's Note: _One chapter in one day, wow, I didn't expect that myself, so you all better be appreciative. ;) Well so far I've gotten one review and 79 hits, that's exciting, lol. Thanks Nikki for your review, it's appreciated more than you know. And getting a review at all, pumped me to finish this chapter more quickly.

More action next time, I promise. " And romance too.

Hope you enjoyed.


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